The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-12-07
THE SIKH POLICE.
ONE OF THE FINEST PEACH
GUARDIANS IN THE WORLD.
The Sikhs q Nation Of Brave War
riors How Sikh Policemen
Manage the Cinnamon in
Oriental Cities.

Sikh policemen on duty, not only il
India, but at Singapore, Tenang. Hong
Kong, Shanghai, and all the Britisl
commercial colonies and treaty ports
the far East. The Sikh policeman, tall,
distinguished, and of martial bearing, j.
a familiar aud picturesque feature ol
Eastern life as seen by every America
who makes tour around the world. Tt,
the student and traveller who is an ad
mircr of physical excellence in mar, Il,
becomes one of the stock reminiscencc:
of the tour, to be spoken admiringly
along with the beauty of the Tai at Agra.
the politeness of the japanese and thu
St. Sophia mosaics at Stamboul.
The Sikhs are nation of warriors, oc.
cupying the greater part o.. the Punjab, in
northern India. Every man is born a
soldier. according to the traditions o:
the tribe: and before tie annexation oil
their territory by the British they were
always conquering and levying tribute
on their neighbors. Physically they are
one of the finest races in the world, and
are conspicuously superior to any race in
India. Prelerring military life to any
other, the great ambition of young
Sikh is to become British soldier OF
policeman. Brave and warlike 10 the
last degree, the Sikh regiments form the
flower of the British native. army, and
when employed in the police service they
are equally efficient.
As one travels down the splendid mill.
tery highway known as the Grand Trunk
Road, which traverses the whole length
of the peninsula, the Sikh policeman be.
comes familiar figure in the days ride.
At intervals of five or six miles you pass
little birch or adobe houses, frequently
nesting beneath the shelter of grove
of sacred peepul trees or an arbor-like
banyan. These are police chowkis, each
occupied by a lone patrolman, whose
beat is the distance from one chowki to
another.
Not less certain than the presence of
the chowki itself would be tall Sikh
policeman, standing like a sentinel out
side the door. As the Sahib or native
of superior rank rides by, the policeman
delivers a stiff military salute. With
left arm held stiffly down the side, body
straight and rigid as fence post, tho
right hand goes up to the forehead, then
out at right angles and down as stifly
against his side as the other. This
salute is duplicated as precisely, from
one chowki to another, as if every figure
were an automaton, and the motion of
the arm trick of springs and clock
work.
In build the Sikh policeman is tall and
slender; he is active and wiry rather
than of powerful frame. Few are under
six feet tall, and the great majority are
an inch or two above. There uniform is
of light material, suited to the hot
climate, and dark blue in color; their
headdress is a huge red turban. After
you have passed three or four of the
little chowkis, you come to district
station, or headquarters of q superin.
tcndcnt. This is more pretentious
affair, and is known as the police thaua.
The thana is usually situated on the out
skirts of town, and contains barracks
for number of policemen, and Jail
for the temporary accommodation OF
prisoners. Carbincs and swords are
hanging up in the quarters of the thana,
but the policemen at the chowkis, or
met with on their beats, are seldom seen
carrying anything more formidable than
a stick.
The sikh police are seen to best ad-
vantage in the Straits Settlements, or at
Hong Kong and Shanghai. One sees
them stationed here and there along the
streets of Hong Kong, towering head
and shoulders above the busy throng OF
Celestials, their huge red turbans max
ing them visible and conspicuous at a
lon g distance. Striking, indeed, is the
contrast presented between the tall,
magnificent Sikh, with the fierce.
looking military mustache turned
up almost to his eyes, and the
oueruous, squabbling crowds of under
sized Chinese, buying and selling, bar
gaining and hawking, in the busy mar
Set places. Proud and martial is the
carriage of the policeman, his every look
and motion proclamation OF superiority
to the hustl;ng, commercial wearers of
the queue. Nor is any love lost between
Sikh policeman and the ordinancc-vio.
lating, law-dodging, dccency-dcfying
Chinaman of the lower commercial or
dcrs. Nothing is more amusing than to
witness the keen relish with which noisy
pcripatctic street hawkers ard jinrlkisha
men are kept moving along, and made
to toe the mark of the city ordinances
regulating their business. The Sikh
knows that John Chinaman speaks dis.
respectfully of him behind his back and
calls him black barbarian, and he seems
to be ever hankc1ing for Legitimate
opening to seize Celestial by the queue
and shake the hcathcni:h depravity ali
out of him. Now and then one cncoun-
ters a group of Chinese engaged in a
noisy squabble over some bit of sharp
practice in bargain: the Sikh police.
man on the neighboring corner hears it
aad comes toward them with long, eager
strides. Like so many rats scuttling oil
at tile approach OF dog, the bunch OF
ouarrcling hcathcn dodge and disappear
among the throngs of their coultrymen
in the market. !
happened to be in Shanghai when tho
Marquis Tscng arrived there from Eu-
rope. Thousands of imperial troops were
assembled TO honor his arrival. The |
English municipality allowed The Chinese
soldiers to camp on the narrow parks
along the beach facing the wafer Low
ratings fence of the grccnsward from Tho
street. Sometimes group Of Chinese
braves would encroach on the road. Like |
an eager hawk, Sikh policeman would
pounce down upon them and hustle them